Navajo Veterans Prevented from Chartering Plane, Will Travel by Bus to Standing Rock

Dine' Warriors Arrived in Standing Rock, National Nurses United Donation Made it PossibleAlthough the Army Corps denied DAPL a permit on Sunday, DAPL said it will drill without a permit. See updates. -- Censored NewsBy Chili Yazzie, Monday, Dec. 5, 2016Dine’ Warriors for Standing Rock Update: I didn’t update yesterday evening as we were on the road. Our Dine’ Warriors made it into Ft. Yates last night and stayed at the Sitting Bull College. They will be escorted to Oceti camp this morning to join in the celebration. As many arrows banded together we are strong and powerful, our Indigenous family with people with good hearts from across the world showed it. Ahe’hee (thank you) to all. This is a very important battle won, but we know the war will go on. For now let us celebrate that we are on the side of truth and justice. We shall not abandon our defense of our Earth Mother and protection of our precious waters.By Chili YazzieCensored News(Sat. Dec. 3, 2016) Dine' Warriors for Standing Update: our Warriors are on the way, they left late, one of the drivers got lost on the Rez, ydl. After a ceremony to send them on their way with good blessings by the Rez wide NAC members who just happen to be meeting here, we are all feeling strong and proud. They will not get into Denver until 9-10 pm. They will have late supper and a rest break at Hillcrest Christian Church, 3000 S. Race St., Denver. Area relatives come out and greet them. There is room on the bus. So if you have the time and commitment, pack some warm clothes and join our Warriors. It's been good. I'm feeling tired but happy. And oh yeah, a large bald eagle visited us at Shiprock Chapter to see off the Warriors. WE SHALL PREVAIL!Dark forces intervened and halted plans for Navajo Veterans to charter a plane to Standing Rock. Navajo Veterans will come by bus, leaving Saturday morning, and invite others to join the caravan for a water protectors caravan.Update from Chili YazzieSaturday morning -- time for departure on two buses arriving from PhoenixDine’ Warriors for Standing Rock Update: it was a scramble to get the journey to Standing Rock organized for our Dine’ Warriors and Water Protectors. I want to thank Beverly Maxwell, Angie Barney-Nez, Eunice Begay, Redawn George, Anthony Aspaas, Anderson Tullie, Ray Daw and others for recruiting Vets to go and figuring out the logistics. It was not easy and we put our best effort to it in spite of the missed communication, miscommunication, limited networking and governmental restrictions. But we were able to bring together a strong and proud group that will represent us well at Standing Rock. Lastly and mostly this would not have been possible if not for the tremendous and gracious support of $50,000 from the National Nurses United organization, bless them.There are two buses; one will be at Window Rock Basha’s at 8:00 this morning, Chinle Basha’s at 9:00 and will go onto Shiprock, the other will be at the Gallup Train Station at 9:00 and then go onto Shiprock. Everyone who is going including the vehicles that will follow the buses will leave Shiprock after briefings and prayers, departure time is 11:00 this morning. The route will be over Wolf Creek Pass and onto Denver where the group will have supper at the Hillcrest Christian Church. The roads all the way should be good and the plan is to get to Cannonball by Sunday afternoon.Even with our hectic efforts to fill the buses, we still have room and the invitation is open to all who want to go, you can get on the bus and we will work out the details in Shiprock. The lead persons for the buses are Beverly Maxwell and Anthony Aspaas, you can call Anthony at 505.860.0742 for questions.

Standing Rock Camp at night. Photo by John Heminger.

By Chili YazzieCensored NewsDine’ Warriors for Standing Rock Update: well, my dear peeps this will be the Chei (grandpa) of all major updates. This report will be a bit long so don’t be in a hurry and don’t make any conclusion until you’ve read this through. I’m gonna’ give you the low-down. As of noon yesterday we were ready to fly first-class, by 3:00 that came crashing down. My contact from the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock group called and said the plane deal fell through. What happened is the plane charter company had initially quoted $50,000 for the plane and apparently after they found out where they were taking our Vets and for what purpose, the price got jacked up to $160,000. For some moments my world unraveled then I started giving it some analysis. My thought is that some dark force put the screw to the plane company; perhaps there is a corporate relationship between the plane company and the dark forces pushing the pipeline. That may or may not be case but that is fine, they can have their damn plane. I figure these dark forces don’t want Dine’ Warriors in Standing Rock, well good!, that makes me feel good and even more empowered. They’re dumb if they think that’s gonna’ keep us outta there, we will regroup, we’ve been through much worse, we are resilient. You also have to think, why should we be flying first class when the relatives are living in bitter cold up there. And maybe they don’t want chizzie Rez types on their plane, hey that’s ok, ha ha, Mr. corporate big dog. Shortly after the devastating phone call I got another call from Ari with the National Nurses United and after talking with her awhile it became apparent that they were the ones who were paying for the plane. The problem with the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock funds is they are tied up in a GoFundMe account, cash they couldn’t access to pay for the plane upfront (GoFundMe cash can’t be accessed until 5-7 days after the account is set up). That’s the main reason we didn’t set up an account here, our trip would be over before we could get at the cash. Anyways, Ari says they have $50,000 for the Dine’ Warriors for Standing Rock effort, she asked ‘what do we do with it’. We worked it out to have the funds transferred to a local 501c3 who will channel the funds for us to pay for buses and whatever else we need for the trip.So we are regrouping and we will lease 3 buses instead of 2. Thinking it through, the buses are a better way for us to get there; we travel on our own terms, no unnecessary restrictions and we can pack mutton and blue bird flour. We will take as many Veterans as we can and open up the rest of the seats to non-Vets. It’s a long ride, but we can handle it, after all, some Skin some years ago called the old Greyhound bus lines, the Indian Airlines. This is also a call-out to all Water Protectors to join up with their vehicles and make it a real caravan. I’m sure the funds from the benevolent Nurses can be used to help with petro for vehicles, Ari did say we can use the funds however we need as long as it is to support Standing Rock. I say we are blessed because we are true to our Earth Mother.We will leave Saturday morning, the beauty of the buses is we can have one run to Window Rock, Chinle and Mexican Water and another can run from Albuquerque to Gallup to Shiprock to pick up people. I will post a new update at noon today with the schedule, pickup stops, travel routes, etc. The caravan will get to Denver by supper time, ideally to be received by family in the area to provide food and a place to rest for a couple hours. Denver area relatives, can you pull that together. We will continue into the night up 85 and then east on 94. Anyone who can help accommodate the caravan along the way and advise on road conditions, please inbox Redawn George. We will roll into Cannonball Sunday afternoon to rest up at the Cannonball Community Center. We will be ready for some strong days of prayer, camaraderie and Solidarity with our Standing Rock family.

Nurses Donate $50,000 to Aid Veterans Stand with Standing Rock

AS THIRD DELEGATION OF RN VOLUNTEERS HEADS TO NORTH DAKOTARNS CALL TO PRESIDENT OBAMA, ATTORNEY GEN LYNCH TO INTERVENE

National Nurses United today announced that it is donating $50,000 to support U.S. service veterans who are assembling this weekend as peaceful, unarmed defenders for the water protectors at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota who are enduring military style police assaults for opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) project.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, herself a decorated veteran, will be joining with the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock mobilization to support the protectors and help raise public attention to the growing human rights emergency that has emerged at the protest site in the face of increased attacks.

The NNU donation will assist a delegation of Navajo veterans from Arizona and New Mexico who will join the veterans gathering this weekend. Through NNU’s Registered Nurse Response Network, RN volunteers have worked with Navajo First Nation members before, providing first aid in September at the Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock, AZ.

Veterans Stand for Standing Rock plan a deployment December 4 to 7 of 2,000 veterans of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard who intend to “defend the water protectors from assault and intimidation of the militarized police force and DAPL security.”

Concurrently, NNU is dispatching its third delegation of RN volunteers Saturday to stand in solidarity with the water protectors and their supporters.

“We salute the brave veterans who are standing up for the rights of the water protectors, and all of us who support this critical defense of the First Amendment right to assemble and protest without facing brutal and unwarranted attacks,” said NNU Co-President Jean Ross, RN.

In a letter last week to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, NNU urged the Department of Justice “to promptly end the militarized response to Standing Rock water protesters and immediately stop the law enforcement use of military grade weapons and equipment that comes from the federal government.”

Nurses also support the call by tribal leaders on President Obama to deny the easement for the pipeline and “to protect the water for Standing Rock citizens and the 17 million people downstream” as well as the call on North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple to “stop the constitutional and human rights violations that are happening at Standing Rock.”

A combination of police agencies in apparent collaboration with DAPL private security contractors have reportedly used rubber/plastic bullets, tear gas grenades, pepper spray, sound cannons, and water cannons in sub-freezing temperature against those who oppose construction of a pipeline that the Standing Rock Sioux and allies say threatens water resources and ancestral sacred sites.

One protester, 21-year-old Sophia Wilansky, has faced the loss of an arm after being hit with a police concussion grenade, according to the Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council.

NNU volunteers will also be on hand this coming weekend. One RN headed to the site this weekend, Amy Bowen, said she is “committed to exhausting every effort to help save our environment and take a stand for our most basic human necessity: clean, oil-free water.

“I, along with other nurse volunteers with RNRN, will stand in solidarity to support the water protectors,” Bowen said.

50 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Wake up smell the petroleum! Water is life? We must stop pooping and peeing in sacred water! Why must we continue to put our human waste(poop, urine, etc), into the very element we are wanting to protect. petroleum industry is actually making millions through this whole stand off.....let's get to the logistics....please.....how many people? How many vehicles? How much fuel? At what price? When will we stop filling our tanks?

Unfortunately, the world runs on petroleum right now. Building another pipeline is not going to help that. It only perpetuates the problem. People are carpooling where they can which is helping cut down on some of the cost. I'm sure some people are wealthy enough to be able to afford electric cars. They're doing the best they can with what they currently have.

When the system is not monopolized by fossil fuels.I'm sure they would've taken the semiconductor train or long range electric buses....oh yeah there aren't any. Ps they have built composting toilets there. Power to the people as we will be the change! Keep fighting

My prayers and my heart and spirit are with you. This is a war that will not be won or lost with one battle. Anonymous is correct that there is much we need to do to protect our water. He/she is also correct in that the big oil companies are making money off of us while we fight. Perhaps we will "stop filling our tanks" when the big oil companies see we no longer need them...but, today, we do. However the stand off is not MAKING money for them, it is in fact losing profits. We must stand strong and we must realize we are in this forever. We will continue to fight for Mother Earth as long as there are those who are willing to harm her.

The plane uses gas too genius. What you want them to walk? the fact that they are car pooling in a bus and not taking several vehicles is reducing cost, fuel, and pollution. but thats just my two cents.

much respecct and many prayers are with you all as you go on your Journey! Thank you To you all for Standing up for us all when you are called foreign or domestic! I will continue to keep our prayers strong and FYI it was posted to travel by day and rest in the night in Kansas and Nebraska as the road conditions are beginning to get worse and the snow melts and it turns into ice at night! Many vehicles are getting stuck and being targeted for vandalism! Safe travels love you relatives

Everyone who might support this cause, Water Is Life, and all it entails must be ready to sacrifice SOMEthing for the cause. Americans, we cannot continue living the way we live and expect ANYthing to change. Think about what you can live without. Think then about what you WILL live without, because clean water, or justice, or ridding ourselves of our dependence on the poisoners, is so important to you. You can do it. If we do not, all our lofty feeling and empathy is neither of these, it is just hot air.

No other way to get there in a hurry!! Otherwise I am sure our Navajo relatives would do it!! Pilameya!! Tunkasila bless & watch over your trip, guiding you to the Hunkpapa Lakota Land, the awakening of the 7th generation prophecy!!

No one should be trying to fly first class. Take a comfortable bus. I have been funding my own trips to Standing Rock even though I struggle financially. This is a sacrifice we make and I hate when some groups think they can get first class travel and as a veteran, I find this selfish. I am an elder and yet I feel obligated not to milk limited funds. If they could give me some gas money, fine, but I don't expect first class travel. Cripes. My Chippewa tribe in ND has more veterans than the rest of the North Dakota tribes combined but we don't ask for special treatment and we are a poor tribe with little resources.

Check street corners of every city, because that is where you will find cold and hungry homeless veterans holding their little cardboard signs in the hopes of some food...would make their day to actually be able to serve a Nation that is serving everyone for the highest good of all concerned. Hoka Hey!

It is blatant disrespect for the charter plane to jack up the price when they found out where and why the plane was flying. This company should be boycotted too, along with Ace Hardware. I have the utmost respect for our veterans for standing beside the Water Protectors and thank you for serving, so that we may enjoy the quality of life that we live.

all the ppl who use the argument about gas Gas GAS..this pipeline is for foreign interest and billionaires only to make more money! Get that in your head and realize this is nothing to do with North America or its ppl! Arguing for the rich to get richer just shows what sheeple really means in my eyes!

People confuse stopping the pipeline and oil.the oil is not intended for the USA and the pipeline is being built to save the company money moving the crude oil through the US.The pipeline endangers us and does not make any jobs. The only work is making is temporary until built.

I wonder why you are not more offended that an oil company csn use Emanent domain for their own personal use. This "oil" is for export for China and Mexico. We as Americans should all heed the call to stand up and call fowl. You are losing you rights and dont even see it. Its ok with you that the civil rights of the First Americans who lived here for thousands of years are being violated? Its ok with you that their ancestors bones are being dug up? Its ok with you that mercenaries dressed in uniforms are using chemical warfare and sicking guard dogs on women and children? Its ok to you that concussion grenandes are being thrown at peaceful water protectors and one woman lost her arm. Thats ok with you? Its tine to stand up and wake up...this is Selma...2016 versio . I pray for your enlightenment

Considering how much money the US government and the private company that is installing the pipeline Have spent trying to take what is not theirs to have, they could've spent it rerouting it to the alternate version which would have taken the pipeline away from the water supply and the burial ground. But no, nobody thought about that. That would be too easy.

Lets not forget why this started...Bismarck didn't want the pipeline going through THEIR community, as originally planned, and ruining their "home". So it was rerouted to go through where it is now, and ruining drinking water for 18 million ppl down the Missouri river, to the Mississippi, to the Gulf. Wakonda works things for the good and takes care of us, so if the bus is how He wants it done, so be it. The water protectors and veterans are prayed up daily, and taking the bus worked out for the better. Stay strong relatives! ������

We must not judge the good intent of others. Our elders come with their own personal challenges. Their presence will speak in many ways to the importance of Standing Rock. Time to put out our welcome mat and nia weh at this time.

Many prayers and blessing sent for your safe travels. I'm sure the comradely will be enjoyed and will create a lifetime of friendships as well. I love the idea of watching for the homeless vets and picking them up along the way. What a great way to honor them and give them a sense of belonging and kinship they may not have felt in a very long time. Blessing of much love to all. <3

Well, the "Rockefeller Family" already in feud with EXON for Natural Resources and is willing to pull out of their support or investing in them....Not necessarily for #Standing Rock but for personal reason that pertains to the environment. That is a good start! I am in South Florida right now. Won't be back in Fort Hood, Texas area until very late Sunday! Will be a hell of a drive to go to ND! My support and prayers to all that is in #Standingrock! I am a veteran, Combat Medic. Biologist...Wildland Firefighter, Researcher ... that's not all. I am very proud that my heroes, the Dine Code Talkers are gonna stand in the front lines again or just there for support. My admiration for these Marines is .... have no words!!!! My dad served, my husband is a CSM retired from the Army, my oldest daughter is in the Air Force, and have a daughter in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University. God bless our Navajo (Dine) Code Talkers! Nizhoni!!!! THANK YOU for everyone's support!

A very important decision to make to help Standing Rock. What is the Best way to help?Do you help?The time to act is here.Each person decides.Many people have chosen to go to Standing Rock. There are beautiful prayers at Standing Rock. And I'm sick of seeing all the violence there. Native Americans are letting all the other people come back, what will those people do?wish we could see some progress like wells being built to help community mmember? A youth center ?Jobs created? New business started? Changes in education?

This is a national disgrace: a continuation of colonial aggression and violence extending back more than 500 years. That we are here yet again, forcing indigenous people at gunpoint to accept something the (mostly white) population of Bismark refused to accept, because they were concerned the pipleline might endanger their water supply, breaks my heart and makes me very angry. I produced a short music video "North Dakota Plains" to help people understand what is happening. All proceeds go directly to help the tribe and not one cent goes to me. Please watch, share, and contribute to Standing Rock as you are able. https://youtu.be/uvLIy7ewiDQ

Something else to be considered: this pipeline is to extend to Illinois IT HAS TO CROSS OR GO UNDER THE MISSOURI RIVER AND THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER!!!! That effects millions upon millions of people! So to those people who think that this is none of their business BETTER THINK AGAIN!!!! This pipeline has to be STOPPED not just detoured!!!! We should all be protesting!

>><<>><< More money for da ride back home now too - that's good, Aho....maybe even some left for a "victory lap"? Mun-abled to be there, but keep findin' myself wishin'(after da other day) that Standin' Rock could be settin' up it's own 24 hour live-streamin' in-situ news station - takin' it all uncensored directly to da people, so to be disenfranchisin' all da big smart guys in the self-blame-less big media with their "I'm an Energy Voter"...."Safety is our First Concern, and especially when we're on TV")" advertsin'. Jeezoo, hey, maybe even T-Boon Pickens could come outta da wood-work to help fund a thing again? Apparently a Satelite or 2 is what ya need nowadays, idk ? <> There really IS an awful lot to be learned from the wisdom of the only proven sustainable culture this land has even known, no? I feel it in my Lyme Disease riddled bones, that da regular ordinary WalMart (used to be Iacoca according to Neil Young) kinda people finally want to learn a thing or 2. Maybe they can start da on-site -"perppetrostreamnews" in a yurt next to da river, with a lesson too on where da trampled-on Constitution was actually plagiarized* from inna first place? - I could use a refresher myself. But even without all that, and just eagles soarin' over-head and no satelites except the moon - there's an over-abundance of stupid mistakes goin' round now for just about every learnin' ability to glean a thing from, I mean - look at Flynt Michigan "Oh, hey, yeah sure you can trust da gov't, just ask Fred and Wilma" - and while I'm at it here, cuz I just can't resist: "When all da 4 leggeds and da 2 leggeds, and da no leggeds, and even da trees and da plants are dead and gone, only then will "certain people" realize ya can't eat money" -In Solidarity with Restorin' the ORIGINAL AMERICAN DREAM & some "real change for a change" and just some damn respect for wisdom @ Standing Rock --Oh, and Sorry for ramblin' and for bein' Anonymous from back east in lowly N.J., that's just kinda the way I am because i'm not a robot ~~~Aho. >><<>><<

Twitter has censored the links of Censored News for more than one month now. Sometimes you can get a Tiny URL to post. Twitter will not respond as to why, but it likely is because of the NO DAPL articles. brendanorrell@gmail.com

About Censored News

Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com

Donate to Censored News

Please donate to Censored News for travel and equipment for our live coverage. Thank you, Brenda.

About Censored News

Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 38 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com

Translate

Follow Censored News by Email

Censored News Copyright Notice

Copyrights of Censored News content are maintained by all writers, photographers and anyone whose work appears on Censored News. No content may be used without permission. No content may be used in any revenue scheme. Portions of photos may not be used without permission. brendanorrell@gmail.com